No matter how much we attempt to streamline and automate the process, BGA Rework has been, and will likely always be, a mixture of art and science. The need for a predictable, repeatable process, with its attendant time and cost savings, drives us continually to attempt to remove as much "art" as possible from the BGA rework process, as new tools and knowledge become available. This is preferable to having the success of a rework operation dependent upon ...Feature Story

What issues are we likely to see when we place BGA components very close to PCB edges? What impact might it have on reliability? Will equipment (screening, placement, reflow, etc.) require modification ...Ask the Experts

It's not unusual for circuit boards that have been fabricated to require additional milling to reduce that thickness on certain areas of the circuit board. This milling is nominally completed by the circuit board fabricator prior to board assembly. Usually, this milling is done to allow the installation of face-plates, bezels, or the insertion of the circuit board into a card slot without restriction. Occasionally, the milling operation is either missed, or not milled to the desired thickness. We have often been asked to perform the milling operation on assembled ...Feature Story